Kingston bath salts probe yields drug charges against pair

KINGSTON, N.Y. -- Two Ulster County residents are facing federal charges on allegations they conspired to distribute more than $100,000 worth of synthetic designer drugs known as "bath salts," authorities said Friday.

Kevin Hartrum, 55, of Mount Marion, and Teresa Greene, 52, of Kingston, were arrested at their homes Friday morning and presented before U.S. Magistrate George A. Yanthis in U.S. Southern District Court in White Plains, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Each were charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substance analogues, a felony.

Each faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine and supervised release for life, authorities said.

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The arrests resulted from an investigation by Kingston police and U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.

Authorities said that for the past several years, Hartrum has operated a Broadway retail store, Head to Toe Apparel, that sells drug paraphernalia and is commonly known as a "head shop." Greene has worked in that store at least since late 2011, authorities said.

On multiple occasions between August 2012 and January 2013, a confidential informant and an undercover police officer made recorded purchases of bath salts from both Hartrum and Greene, who told the informant and officer how best to consume the bath salts. Hartrum also instructed them on how to profit from reselling the drugs to others, authorities said.

The drugs the informant and officer bought tested positive for alpha-Pyrrolidinopentiophenone, 4-Methyletheathinone, and Pentedrone.

Bath salts are synthetic stimulants that have been linked to overdoses, suicides and deaths throughout the United States, authorities said.

"The men and women of the Kingston Police Department will continue to focus their efforts on making our community a safer place to live and work," Chief Egidio Tinti said. "We recognize that it is through combined enforcement efforts that we will succeed in achieving our goals. We wish to thank the DEA for their support and assistance in this case."